swimboy123
Reef-a-holic
Tuxedo urchins did it for me
Algal genus Spotlight: Bryopsis "hair algae"
- Thread starter horge
- Start date
I own my own aquarium maintenance business, and the answer that everyone has been looking for to remove bryopsis from their systems is the addition of multiple convict tangs. They will eliminate any and all vegetation from the aquarium, including macroalgaes as tough as Halimeda!!! Trust me, it will work for you too. I have been using this method for over 5 years now, and my customers LOVE my services for their beautiful algae free tanks. Thats our secret, shhhhh!
i'm wondering will pods finish up those broypsis ?
currently my tank has no fish but some softies and a pair of shrimps...
pods are multiplying everyday. i know pods are feed on algae.
if i maintain this, wondering will pods finish up all the broypsis over the coming months ?
currently my tank has no fish but some softies and a pair of shrimps...
pods are multiplying everyday. i know pods are feed on algae.
if i maintain this, wondering will pods finish up all the broypsis over the coming months ?
Wow, I just spent about an hour reading everyones posts in this. I myself am having issues with this stuff.
I have read people doing a few things to help rid it:
~Just let it go until it litterly starves itself, dont do any water changes
~add a lawnmower blenny
~foxface rabbit fish
~urchin
~manually remove
~create a 'dip' and remove all rocks and clean them (another form of maual removal)
~some are having lluck with various snails /slugs, but that seems to be a hit or miss kinda thing.
Of all of the things mentioned, it seems the blenny, the slug and the urchin seems to be the way to go, as more people who posted said these worked for them. I myself am having issues with brypopis at the momoent in my tank, and I will be adding a blenny and a urchin tommorow.
I would add the slug, but my LFS said they would run around $70 for one, (the price goes down the more I get) and that IMO is going to be the last resort.
I have read people doing a few things to help rid it:
~Just let it go until it litterly starves itself, dont do any water changes
~add a lawnmower blenny
~foxface rabbit fish
~urchin
~manually remove
~create a 'dip' and remove all rocks and clean them (another form of maual removal)
~some are having lluck with various snails /slugs, but that seems to be a hit or miss kinda thing.
Of all of the things mentioned, it seems the blenny, the slug and the urchin seems to be the way to go, as more people who posted said these worked for them. I myself am having issues with brypopis at the momoent in my tank, and I will be adding a blenny and a urchin tommorow.
I would add the slug, but my LFS said they would run around $70 for one, (the price goes down the more I get) and that IMO is going to be the last resort.
Me No Nemo
Premium Member
I've also found the yellow, Hawaiin Sailfin mows the stuff down, if it isn't too long. I wouldn't suggest one for a 55 gallon though. I have the most luck with Large Mexican Turbos, the large Hawaiian Sea Hare, Trochus Grazers and Rabbits. Bristle tooth (Koles and the like) Blennies will scrape some, but only the very short stuff and they don't seem to make a huge dent in it.
Eric Boerner
Coral Cutter
Simply put, you cannot "expect" ANY live critter to take care of your algae problem with the exception of algae grazing snails & hermits. But to nail down a significant problem, you need to throw hundreds of them at it.
I have experienced non-eating: Blenny, Yellow Tang, Sailfin Tang, Foxface, Rabbitfish, Kole Tang, Powder Blues, Pygmie Angel... All of them refuse to eat hair algae and only eat flakes... Stop feeding flakes and they'd rather starve themselves to death despite the 3 month supply of hair algae on the rock...
I've found turbo and margarita snails do the job best, but wind up dying off fairly quick. Plus they are damn expensive these days. Margarita's are in the $2 a pop these days, and turbos are around $1 ea, but tend to have a 1 month life cycle at the size they're shipping at. Kinda pricey...
I have experienced non-eating: Blenny, Yellow Tang, Sailfin Tang, Foxface, Rabbitfish, Kole Tang, Powder Blues, Pygmie Angel... All of them refuse to eat hair algae and only eat flakes... Stop feeding flakes and they'd rather starve themselves to death despite the 3 month supply of hair algae on the rock...
I've found turbo and margarita snails do the job best, but wind up dying off fairly quick. Plus they are damn expensive these days. Margarita's are in the $2 a pop these days, and turbos are around $1 ea, but tend to have a 1 month life cycle at the size they're shipping at. Kinda pricey...
A friend of mine had a tank disaster and and decided to take his tank down. He had some goodies, and I went and got them.
A blue tang, some clowns, a few turbo snails, and a few other things.
Everything went into the tank last night around 8, the lights went off at 9:15, they werent on before I left for work this morning as they turn on at 10. I just went home and checked the tank/stock at lunch time (about an hour ago) and half of the bryopis is gone. The tang seemed to be pokin at it. Something ate it, I dont know if its a combo of the snails, the tang, just the sails, IDK. I did see the tang going to town though. They must have full stomachs cause they went to town on that stuff. Litterly probably 12 hours.
So my battle has begun. I wanted to pick up a few new inhabitants early in the week, but havent been able to.
I dont see most of my snails while the lights are on. They all come out after dark. Go searching with a flashlight after the lights have gone out for about an hour or 2.
A blue tang, some clowns, a few turbo snails, and a few other things.
Everything went into the tank last night around 8, the lights went off at 9:15, they werent on before I left for work this morning as they turn on at 10. I just went home and checked the tank/stock at lunch time (about an hour ago) and half of the bryopis is gone. The tang seemed to be pokin at it. Something ate it, I dont know if its a combo of the snails, the tang, just the sails, IDK. I did see the tang going to town though. They must have full stomachs cause they went to town on that stuff. Litterly probably 12 hours.
So my battle has begun. I wanted to pick up a few new inhabitants early in the week, but havent been able to.
I dont see most of my snails while the lights are on. They all come out after dark. Go searching with a flashlight after the lights have gone out for about an hour or 2.
graveyardworm
Premium Member
Cheato doesnt go sexual the same way caulerpa does. What it does do however is it begins to fragment into small pieces.
Lunchbucket
Premium Member
so what ate it vest??
Lunchbucket
Lunchbucket
Well, to summerize my little battle, my thoughts were this from the get go..
1. get a lawnmower blenny
2. get a urchin
3. stop water changes
4. more snails
and I was going to do all of this. I was going to go out and pick up a urchin at low tide, and go buy a blenny. I hadnt had the time to go out at low tide, or meet with the LFS before they closed, but a freind was giving away some stuff, so I went and got this things. He give me a blue tang some snails and some crabs. (and a mated pair of clows
)instantly the tang started munching on that stuff. I mean it was litterly within min's of putting him in the tank that he started eating it. I woke up the next morning to find him going to town on it, and over a period of about a week, I would say I have won the battle. I must also add that I started my refugium with a small ball of chaeto in the mix also. I never have yet added the the blenny, the urchin, and I plan to do a water change this weekend. I did add a few more snails, a few turbos and various other snails.
Dont get me wrong, I do still have a few small (tiny) patches around the tank, but considering a few weeks ago I almost cried looking at my tank and looking at it now is a night and day difference.
I was just going through a few pictures trying to find the before and after, I dont have any before in my gallery (and im now at work, so I cant go looking through my HD) but in my gallery I found this. my tang eating...
the stuff along the backwall is gone. its almost clear again.
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